Alone in the Twenty First Century
by GoDownWithThisShip
Summary: Steve Rogers is unfrozen and finds himself in a strange new world. He decides to team up with the Avengers. He's broken, but he's determined not to let anyone see. But someone does see. Someone by the name of Tony Stark.
1. Chapter 1

**I'm really in love with the Steve/Tony pairing but I've never been able to write fan fiction for it. I hope this fic plays out well! It's pretty much a Steve/Tony Avengers verse fic. Maybe some Clint/Natasha worked in there as well. I hope you enjoy it!**

He was greeted by fanfare and it made his situation a lot more dizzying than it already was.

The first shock had come while he was packing up to leave the SHIELD base. All that he had owned before the war conveniently fit into a medium sized locker and when he had risen from his bed of melted ice he began the painful task of sifting through his belongings. Surprisingly the flashing technology of the laboratory didn't seem to phase him. _Probably just shock, _he realized as he climbed into the elevator with an accompanying female SHIELD agent. He contemplated asking her what had changed in the seventy years that he spent in the ice. He decided against it. Judging by her age, she wasn't even around thirty years ago. They reached the basement of the building which was filled with filing cabinets, shelves, and lockers. She lead him over to one and unlocked it for him. He opened the metal door and looked at his belongings lying in a disheveled clump. "May I have a moment please, Miss?" he asked quietly.

She nodded and left him. He inhaled and prepared himself. He was expecting the shock. He knew it was coming. Didn't make it any easier for him.

A picture of him and Bucky slid out of his jacket pocket just as he was rolling it up to shove it into the duffle bag SHIELD had provided him with. Steve kneeled to pick the polaroid up from the floor. He stared at it a while. A wide smile was spread across Bucky's youthful face. Steve's bulky arm was slug carelessly over Bucky's shoulders and he wore a similar smile on his own face. In this particular photo, they were in civilian clothing. They weren't Captain America and his sidekick. They were two friends. He hadn't lost a sidekick that day. He had lost...a friend. His free fist clenched and his teeth ground together. He was physically fighting off the tears, but eventually the tears won. Somehow he knew they'd always win. Steve quickly transferred the remaining belongings into the duffle bag and slung it over his shoulder. He wiped his eyes roughly and hoped the agent wouldn't notice anything. Of course she hadn't.

The second shock hit him while he was sitting in the back seat of the SHIELD transport vehicle. The city blurred beyond the windows of the car. Steve felt as if the glass was holding out the dangers and confusion of this new world. He felt a temporary shelter in this vehicle, but he knew that feeling would dissipate as soon as he opened the door. He couldn't just close his eyes and pretend that he was riding in the back of a transport Jeep on his way back to the army base. He couldn't tune out the present. This wasn't the 1940s. He rested his head back against the leather of the car seat. His stomach was churning painfully.

The third shock hit him when the vehicle arrived at what they called 'The Avengers Mansion'. He was raised with a frugality that only existed in the thirties. The splendor of the structure took him by complete surprise. The front gates opened for the transport vehicle. Steve scanned the well pruned grounds as the car pulled up the drive. When they came to a stop he opened the door and picked up his duffle bag. As soon as he closed the door, the car made a U-turn and drove off the way it came. He stood there for a moment, completely dazed with amazement and uncertainty.

Suddenly, the front door was thrown open and a few people spilled out onto the doorstep. He looked up at them, most wore smiles, although the only woman in the crowd looked as if she was having the most unamusing day of her life.

That's when the fanfare began.

_Wow! The __**real **__Captain America!_

_How peculiar. Welcome to the future, Captain._

_My father was a real fan! He used to talk about you all the time._

He was grateful when the man at the front of the group crossed his arms over his chest and said, "Come on guys, let the man through. He's probably had a long day. Hell, I wouldn't be half as civilized if someone woke me up in the middle of a nap."

Steve climbed the stairs and began to introduce himself, "I'm Steven Rogers. Er, I guess you all probably knew that."

The man who had saved him from the fanfare took it upon himself to introduce the others. "That's Thor," he said motioning toward a very muscular gentleman, with flowing blonde hair, and the most intriguing outfit. He looked like something that exploded from the middle ages.

"That's Bruce," he indicated a gentleman with curled hair and spectacles. It was difficult for Steve to estimate Bruce's age. Bruce appeared to be young, but his face was subtly lined and there was some gray growing into the roots of his hair.

"Clint and Natasha," he indicated the remaining two people. The woman's expression did not change and she tucked a lock of her wine red hair behind her ear. Clint, however, gave Steve a warm smile. Steve returned it, although he doubted his version wasn't as warm.

"And I'm Tony," Tony held out a hand and Steve shook it. Steve was surprised that Tony's hands were calloused. Judging by Tony's appearance and wardrobe choice, he wouldn't have guessed that Tony worked with his hands.

"Alright, show's over. Everyone back inside," Tony declared.

The rest of the group returned to whatever they were doing before the small ruckus that Steve caused. "Would you like a tour? Or should I just leave you to your room to unpack?" Tony asked turning to Steve.

"He did not seem too excited about the twenty first century," Clint noted. The Avengers had gathered in the kitchen and were eagerly gossiping about the new arrival.

"I doubt you'd bee too excited if you woke up and everything was completely different," Bruce pointed out.

"Perhaps festivities will assist the new comer in feeling more welcome!" Thor declared happily.

"Will you all give it a rest? You gossip like a bunch of housewives," Natasha interjected from her perch on the kitchen counter.

"Natasha's got a point," Bruce laughed. "I'm going back to my research." He poured himself a cup of coffee before leaving the room.

"Do we know if he's going to join the team?" Clint asked.

"Nay," Thor replied. "For now we are just providing him with shelter. At least that is what Tony has said."

"It's a bit quaint, but it'll do, right?" Tony smirked as he opened the bedroom door for Steve.

Steve nearly dropped his bag in shock. The room had high ceilings and large windows. There was a sizable dresser in the corner a queen size bed against the far wall. "Amazing," was all Steve could manage to utter. He entered the room and deposited his bag on the bed.

"If there's anything you need, just holler," Tony said.

Steve snorted, "You probably wouldn't be able to hear me."

"Yeah, but Jarvis will."

"Who is Jarvis?" Steve asked.

"_Hello Master Steve," _an automated voice filled the room.

Steve jumped. "It's okay. It's just my personal AI. I routed him to service every room in the mansion. He's in charge of security, power, hell, you name it, Jarvis has it covered," Tony explained.

"Sorry, but, um, what's an AI?" Steve asked


	2. Chapter 2

**Just a note, a few plot elements are going to come from the cartoon Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes. If you haven't seen it, it's pretty good. (You know for a Y-7 show.) Anyway, enjoy!**

Cap's first test on the team came in the form of a few HYDRA robots. Not really anything severe. Bruce even stayed behind at the mansion and monitored the team's progress on a large screened monitor in the basement. This wasn't a situation severe enough for the Hulk. So he sat and sipped some tea while he watched the scene in front of him. There were two large robots with extendable mechanic arms. One of them had The Cap clutched thirty feet above the ground. Tony fired some raw energy from his hands to slice off the robotic arm that was clutching Cap. Cap managed to free himself from the arm but that didn't help the fact that he was now hurtling toward the ground. Tony swooped down, caught him, and set him back on the ground where he belonged. Cap gave a little salute as a gesture of gratitude and continued to bash some patrol units with his shield.

Clint and Natasha had a surprising ability to collaborate. They both seemed like the least social able on the team and yet Bruce was watching them work together on screen. It shouldn't have been such a surprise since Bruce was aware that Clint and Natasha had previously been partners. Yet he still marveled at their abilities. At one point a sizable crowd of HYDRA troops had surrounded them. Clint and Natasha stood back to back and repelled the soldiers with their attack specialities.

The gang arrived back at the mansion and they each had their own way of unwinding. Tony disappeared in search of a bit of hard liquor. Natasha proclaimed that she needed a shower. Clint slyly offered to join her but he was shot down instantly by her heated Russian glare. Instead he wandered off to, presumably, watch the large television in the living room. Steve found himself sitting on the edge of his bed with his chin in his hands. Today, he had fought against some old dogs who had unfortunately learned some new tricks. He had faced HYDRA before back in his own time, but now it seemed that they were stronger than ever.

_At least the heroes are stronger too, _Steve reminded himself. _And they didn't even need some fancy serum for it._

"You alright there, Cap?" Tony had poked his head into Steve's room. Steve assumed that he had forgotten to shut the door all the way.

"Yup," Steve said quickly, assuming the best smile he could muster. He felt like one of the action figures they had started making of him. Plastic with a forced painted on smile.

"I know it was kind of sudden, hey Steve! Welcome to the twenty first century! Hey Steve! Go attack those HYDRA robots!" Tony rambled animatedly. _He's either terrible at holding his alcohol, or he's already drunk enough to get him like this. _

"Really Tony, I'm completely okay. I'm just thinking is all," Steve said in what he hoped was a reassuring voice.

"Got it," Tony took his cue to exit, "I'll just leave you to that. If you need anything, yeah you know the drill."

"So what did you think of the newbie's performance today?" Clint asked over a plate of the chinese takeout he had ordered for the team. The takeout boxes cluttered the kitchen counter and the group sat around a circular table. Their portions varied from Thor sized to Natasha sized.

"He's _adorable_," Natasha smirked. This incited a laugh from Bruce and Tony, but Clint scanned her face pleadingly as if he'd find an indication of humor there. _Big muscled pri-_

"He is quite the warrior," Thor stated heartily scooping rice and beef into his mouth.

"Indeed," Bruce concurred. "I think he makes a fine addition to the team."

"Speaking of which," Clint said, barely concealing his jealous tone, "where is the big guy?"

"He preferred to take dinner in his room," Tony explained.

"Not much of a team player, ay?" Clint teased.

"He's just getting used to everything. Before you know it he'll be team bonding like a true Avenger," Tony replied.

Clint was washing the remaining dishes from dinner. The kitchen was completely empty, and almost silent. He hummed quietly to himself. He hadn't heard her approach, but he heard the refrigerator door open and turned. Natasha was fishing around inside.

"Midnight munchies?" he teased.

"No thanks, I'm watching my figure," she replied, easing back into a standing position with a milk carton in her hand and closing the door.

Clint snorted and it became uncomfortably silent. "Is now an okay time to talk?" he asked.

"You're going to bring up my undercover work, aren't you," Natasha replied, pouring herself a glass of milk and leaning against the counter behind him.

He could feel her eyes on the back of his head as he wiped the dishes dry. "Naturally," he said trying to sound nonchalant.

"Then, no. Now isn't an okay time to talk," she replied taking a long sip from her glass.

"We were _partners, _Tasha," Clint threw the rag down and turned to face her. "Everything kind of ended with a big question mark. You explained you were working undercover, great I got it. You wouldn't explain why. You wouldn't join the avengers at first. Then you suddenly decide that you want to join the team. I mean I just don't get you."

"Well now we're part of a team," she replied as she set her glass down on the counter and moved next to him at the sink. She took the discarded towel and began to wipe down another plate.

"What does that even mean?" Clint shot at her. He fished a glass out of the murky dishwater and began to sponge it dry.

"It means that we're a part of something bigger than just you and I," Natasha explained, drying off another plate.

"For once, can you _please _cut the mysterious and dangerous crap?" Clint grumbled.

"They don't call me the Black Widow for kicks, Clint," she replied. There was humor in her eyes this time and Clint looked down to hide his smile.

There was a certain humor in the situation. He was here, with the most dangerous woman in the world, cleaning up after one of the most powerful 'super human' allegiances on the globe.

Tony had a tough time trying to sleep. His first escapades as Iron Man were trivial. He didn't feel any sort of distress during or after the battles. After so many, that apathy had begun to wear down. Sometimes he would return home and have nightmares or flashbacks. He couldn't stop them once they started. Sometimes the only way he could evade them was through alcohol. So that's what he did. He sat in his private study and drank himself into a slumber. Sure, sometimes he woke up with a cramp in his neck, but at least his sleep was nightmare free.

He lifted himself from his bed, turned on the light, and slipped into the hallway. Coincidently he ran into another Avenger in the hall. It seemed that Steve had finally been drawn from his room. "Good evening, Cap," he greeted him.

Steve whirled around to face Tony and gave him a weak smile. "Hey, um, I was just about to get something to eat," he said nervously.

"And I was about to drown myself in some booze. Awesome!" Tony said with fake jolliness. The two headed down to the kitchen in silence.

Tony watched the bronze liquid spill into his crystal glass. He swirled it around a bit, the sound of the ice clinking around was more familiar than he'd like to admit. He took a sip and watched Steve eat. If you could call it that. He looked more like a starved animal feeding on the carcass of its prey. He hadn't bothered with chopsticks. He ate the left over chinese food with a fork. Out of the box.

"This is delicious," he commented quietly. "What's it called?"

Tony moved over and leaned over Steve's shoulder to inspect the contents of the box. Steve's muscles clenched a bit, but he didn't move away. "If I'm not mistaken, that's Beijing Beef," Tony noted and then stopped suddenly, "You've never had Chinese food before?"

Steve shook his head.

"My God!" Tony gasped. He retreated to the fridge and grabbed the rest of the boxes.

"What?" Steve asked, watching Tony's sudden excited movements closely.

"You've never had Chinese food before. That's like saying you haven't **lived!**" Tony was emptying the contents of the various boxes on a large plate. _A little bit of fried rice. A little bit of Kung Pao. A little bit of-no a lot of pot stickers. _He popped the plate in the microwave. The forty seconds that ensued seemed to last an eternity. The aroma of the spices and seasonings filled the kitchen.

"That smells amazing," Steve said, dumbfounded. He wasn't used to such _exotic _dishes.

"Oh you wait," Tony grinned, he pulled the plate from the microwave and set it in front of his friend. "It will taste even better."

His prediction was accurate. Steve was soon shoveling the food into his mouth as fast as he could. Tony watched him, completely amused and slightly enthralled. _How could anyone eat so much? _he wondered. He grabbed his discarded glass again and took a sip. He secretly wondered if Steve was going to be a chronic insomniac like this. _It would be nice to have a little company,_ Tony decided.

**My apologies for the late update! This story got such an immediate and lovely response. Thank you all for the reviews and you can look forward to some more Stony soon :**


	3. Chapter 3

The first team argument broke out on a seemingly normal Thursday evening. Tony had come home in a obviously sour mood. He loosened his tie from his neck forcefully. He trudged up the stairs and found his way to his study. He shut the door behind him and collapsed into a leather arm chair. "Jarvis," he shouted.

"There's no need to raise your vo-"

"Yeah. Whatever. Access my playlist. Get some tunes up," he ordered. He reached over to an oak side table laid with crystal glasses and hard liquor. He poured himself a glass and took a swig. He could feel a headache rumble threateningly inside his skull. He knew that stress would lead to night terrors. Night terrors would lead to yet another sleepless night, and that was not something he could afford right now.

Black Sabbath roared over the speakers. Tony threw back his drink and closed his eyes to sink into his chair. "Turn it up."

"But, sir-"

"No. Jarvis. No buts. Turn it up."

The volume escalated instantly. It swallowed Tony whole. It left him in a void of nothingness. The only thing he could feel was the warmth of the booze in his esophagus. That was until Clint's voice pierced the serenity.

"What the hell are you doing?" Clint shouted above the song.

"Meditating," Tony grumbled.

"What?" Clint shouted again. "Jarvis turn this shit down!"

"Jarvis," Tony started warningly.

Natasha appeared in the doorway. "Tony can you please keep it down. Bruce doesn't like loud noises."

"It's my house. Therefore, I think I can do whatever I want," Tony replied shortly.

"Tony, please. Stop being a child. If you don't turn it down, the Hulk will make _sure _you don't have a house," Natasha said crossing her arms over her chest.

"Jarvis!" Clint shouted at the ceiling, "Jarvis I know you can hear me! I swear to God if you don't turn this music down I will shove an arrow so far up your hard drive-"

The music stopped instantly. "Traitor," Tony mumbled.

"Tony?" another Avenger had joined the small crowd gathering in the study. Naturally Steve had heard the commotion and had come to investigate. His facial expression was one of concern. Tony had seemed so easy-going. His behavior didn't seem characteristic at all.

"Please, can everyone just _leave _me _alone_?" Tony shouted. He suddenly felt as if the study was too small. He couldn't breathe. Clint turned to Natasha who shrugged in response. The two of them made for the door.

Clint turned to Steve who was rooted to the ground watching Tony crumble in his arm chair. "Come on, Cap," he said, "we've got over a thousand channels on the tube. I'll show you a few."

"Maybe later," Steve replied.

"Um, alright." Clint shrugged. There was an uncomfortable silence for a few moments before Natasha grasped his arm and pulled him from the study.

Steve took a seat in an arm chair across from Tony's. He said nothing, but watched Tony intently. He half expected Tony to shout at him like he had earlier. He had expected Tony to insist that he leave. Tony didn't. So they sat in a mutual silence for a while.

Finally Tony spoke, "Do you think that people can change?"

"Of course," Steve replied without hesitation.

Tony smirked._ Of course. Good ole Captain America. Probably always sees the good in people, _he thought. "I had a ton of meetings today, Steve," he said massaging his forehead with his fingertips. "Meetings with people who want to use _my tech _to make weapons. I keep telling them that Stark Industries doesn't _do _weapons anymore. You know what they tell me?" Tony felt bile building up in the back of his throat.

"What?"

"They tell me that I'm running my father's business into the ground. They tell me that a few years ago I would have jumped at the opportunity. That somehow I've gone _soft,_" he spat the last word out.

"And you somehow think that you're remotely like who you were a few years ago?" Steve asked.

"Well, I mean. I don't know what to think. I'm doing what I know. I'm trying to run this goddamn company. I'm trying to save the world. Hell, I'm trying to stay _sane_. So a couple of guys in expensive suits flounce in and tell me that I'm a disappointment. That my father would be _ashamed?_" Tony was clearly flustered.

"From what you've just described, I think your father would be proud," Steve said quietly.

Tony couldn't help but smile a bit. He poured himself another drink and offered one to Steve who politely declined. He drained his glass and replaced it on the table. "I'm sorry," he finally said.

"Sorry for what?" Steve asked.

"Unleashing my problems on you like that."

Steve chuckled, "Well, what are friends for?"

_Friends. _It had never occurred to Tony that he and Steve were _friends. _Hell, Tony didn't know he even had _friends. _He had the team. He had Pepper. "Yeah," Tony said thoughtfully. "Thanks."

"Thanks for what?" Steve asked.

"I don't really know, but I feel like I should thank you."

Steve chuckled again, this time it lifted Tony's spirits enough for him to join in.

x~x~x~x~x

"Man, Tony sure has some issues," Clint said scrolling through the television channels lazily.

"Everyone has issues," Natasha replied simply. She was engrossed in the pages of a novel. Clint turned slightly so that he could watch her out of the corner of his eye. He had seen unkept Natasha only a few times before. He was actually enjoying the careless way her curls tumbled down around her shoulders. _She doesn't look too bad in a pair of sweats either, _he mentally noted.

"Stop it," she said flipping the page.

"Stop what?" Clint turned his attention to the television screen and hastily flicked through a few more channels.

"Stop analyzing me."

"I think the term you were looking for was 'checking out'" Clint corrected.

Natasha looked up at him and rolled her eyes. Clint fought a smile back. _For being the most dangerous woman in the world, she could be pretty damn adorable sometimes._

"There might be a movie on, want to watch?" Clint asked.

"Unprofessional." was Natasha's response.

"Christ. Tasha, it's a movie. We're pretty much on opposite sides of the couch!"

"If I agree, will you quiet down?"

"Maybe," Clint shrugged.

She smiled a bit before marking her place and closing her book.

_Well, that's a first step, _Clint thought as he selected the channel with the movie. It turned out to be a rather dull romantic comedy that skipped the theaters and went straight to DVD. They watched in silence. The minutes formed an hour which found Natasha passed out on her side of the couch. Clint flicked the television off and stood up to stretched. He glanced back at Natasha's sleeping form on the couch. Even though she looked at peace, he knew her defenses were still probably up.

He retrieved a thick afghan that was draped across a nearby easy chair. He laid it over Natasha and she did not stir. He turned and left the room, flicking the lights off after him. She lay still in the darkness for a moment before smiling a bit and pulling the afghan tighter around herself and surrendering to sleep.

**I'm sorry for being so bad at updating D:**

**I hope you all enjoyed the chapter**


	4. Chapter 4

The first nightmare was vivd and unexpected. Steve awoke coated in a unpleasantly cool layer of sweat. Electricity was sparking through his nerves and he sat up and clenched his fists. As soon as his limbs ceased shaking, he pulled himself out of bed. His toes curled into the carpet as the room spun around him slightly. When he felt steady enough to walk, he slipped out of his bedroom and made his way down the dimly lit hallway to the bathroom. He was relieved to see that it was unoccupied. He closed the door behind him and splashed cold water on his face. It did nothing to expel the haunting images that still lingered behind his eyelids. He lifted the shirt from his head frustratedly and stepped out of his sweat pants. He ripped the clear shower curtain open and turned the water on. At first it was chilled, but soon the bathroom was filled with a fog of steam. Steve removed the rest of his clothes and stepped in. He stood for a moment with his eyes closed and just let the water run over him.

_The war's over Cap, _he told himself, _you're in a completely __**new **__world._

But he couldn't ignore the underlying feeling of loneliness that came with living in this **new **world.

x~x~x~x~x

Tony was drunk. He knew that he shouldn't be. Somehow everyone thought that **he **would make an appropriate leader for this rogue band of super heroes. Truthfully, he could barely take charge of his own life. Not that he'd ever admit it. He was wandering aimlessly about the mansion as he often did when he felt there was nothing to do. He had no idea what time it was. Although, it had to be pretty late since the basement laboratory had been empty. He had noticed that Bruce would hang out down there until the wee hours sometimes. It wasn't that Bruce couldn't sleep (no on nights like that Bruce often hordes half of the mansion's coffee supply). It was just that once he got going on something, he had to finish it.

He didn't know how he wound up in front of the door to his bedroom. He figured his body was trying to convince his mind that it was time for bed. Right now, his mind couldn't agree more. He heard the faint sound of the shower coming from the bathroom down the hall. He lingered a bit. _Could be Natasha,_he reasoned, _I've got a 1 in 6 chance. Wait. No. I don't count. 1 in 5 chance. Good enough for me._

He made his way over to the bathroom door and quietly tried the handle. He expected it to be locked. He was pleasantly mistaken. He opened the door a crack and peered in. He had a perfect vantage point and secretly gloated about his choice in shower curtains. He could vaguely make out the figure behind it. Spying on the unsuspecting bather was difficult seeing as how his vision kept blurring. He rubbed his eyes a bit and he immediately realized that the figure behind the curtain was _not _Natasha.

His eyes grazed across the broad shoulders and cascaded down the unbelievably muscular body of none other than Steve Rogers. _Wow._

Tony couldn't bring himself to close the door. His eyes could not be torn from Steve's incredible physique. There was a not-so-unpleasant lurch in his stomach and he finally brought himself to shut the door. It should have been an instantaneous reaction. Open the bathroom door. See another man showering. Close bathroom door.

_I need to stop drinking. _Tony lumbered back to his room feeling confused and juvenile (Peeping **was **a little childish. Even for him.) He didn't bother to change his clothes. He simply crumpled up into a little ball on his bed and closed his eyes. Sleep didn't come as instantly as he hoped.

He rolled over, the feeling in his stomach had migrated to his chest. It felt a lot like heart burn. He blinked a few times before clenching his eyes shut. A sudden burst of ice shot through his veins and he shivered a bit. He tried to climb under his comforter but he didn't have full control of his limbs so he ended up becoming entwined in a knot of sheets and blankets.

He suddenly imagined what it would be like if Steve were there. Steve probably gave off more heat than a furnace.

_My own personal furnace, _Tony thought with a slight grin of satisfaction. _What?_he suddenly caught himself.

_No more alcohol before bed,_ he decided and finally drifted off.

x~x~x~x~x

Steve awoke the next morning with an uncomfortable amount of energy. _Maybe I should shower every night before bed, _he thought. He stretched his back muscles which always managed to get tight while he slept. He got dressed and made his way down to the kitchen to fix himself something to eat. The only Avenger that was up this early was Natasha. She sat at the kitchen counter sipping coffee and reading the paper. She looked up, nodded once to acknowledge his presence, and went back to reading. Steve helped himself to a cup of coffee and leaned against the counter next to the sink. They sipped their beverages in silence. The only sound was of Natasha flipping through the paper. She skimmed the headlines idly and enjoyed judging them on how accurate they were compared to her inside information. Sadly, they never compared.

"Are you visiting the gym again before lunch?" Steve asked uncertainly. He didn't mind silences, but Natasha made him nervous. Women in general tended to make him nervous. He could save female civilians from danger without a problem, but when it came to sitting down and talking to a woman, Steven Rogers didn't have a clue.

Natasha shrugged without looking up from her reading.

He shouldn't have expected conversation from a woman who dedicated her life to secrecy. Thankfully Thor and Clint entered the room chatting noisily about Thor's adventures in Asguard. "And _that _was the tale of my first visit to Jotunheim!"

"Fascinating," Clint replied. "What's for breakfast?"

Steve looked around the bare marble counter tops and shrugged.

"I could prepare us a feast!" Thor declared. "I will need the following ingredients: twenty eggs, two barrels of flour-"

"Let's just go to the diner around the corner," Clint suggested with a laugh.

"A grand idea, Archer!" Thor said sounding excited. "Shall you be accompanying us, Soldier?"

"I'm not that hungry," Steve lied. He could have eaten the entire team whole and still have room for seconds. He just didn't want to leave the mansion. Every time he left he would notice something new and he would be forced to remember 'the old days'. The outside world was a terminal reminder that he was an antique.

"Tasha?" Clint extended a two syllable invitation to her.

"No thank you," she replied simply, turning another page.

"Well…it's just you and me big guy," Clint said slightly crestfallen. The two left the room and once again Steve was left with Natasha.

"Why didn't you want to go?" he asked quietly. He suddenly needed something to do with his hands so he fixed himself another cup of coffee.

"Thor's loud. I like to spend my mornings reading the paper in _peace_."

Steve grimaced. He contemplated leaving the room at Natasha's not so subtle request. Then Tony walked in draped in a robe and looking like hell. "Good morning, all," he proclaimed drowsily.

"What happened to you?" Natasha asked. She had finally torn herself from the daily news.

"I woke up," Tony replied. He made his way over to the coffee maker. He fumbled around in the cabinet above the coffee maker. "Did someone use my mug?"

"Your mug?" Natasha asked raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah, the one that I had custom made…says Mr. Stark on i-" he turned and his eyes locked on the mug in Steve's hands.

Steve looked down and immediately set the mug on the counter and spewed a sloppy apology. "I'm so sorry! I had no idea that it was your mug! If I had known I wouldn't have used it!"

Natasha was viewing from her vantage point at the counter. She braced herself to jump in and break the two up. She knew how _possessive _Stark could get over his things. To her surprise Tony just shook his head and said, "Don't sweat it, Rogers" and used a different mug.

Tony didn't know what had come over himself. He should have thrown a little _Billionaire-Playboy-Philanthropist _tantrum over Steve using his _favorite _mug. He preoccupied himself with rummaging through the cupboards but he was secretly eyeing Natasha out of the corner of his eye. She was attractive. There was no doubt about it. He had thought about her body on many occasions (usually it wasn't clothed and it was pressed up against his). He then watched Steve out of the corner of his eye. Steve was a well-built man with a handsome face.

_But I wouldn't __**fantasize **__about him, _Tony thought. Then he remembered the incident last night. _Oh. _Steve Rogers was beginning to have an unusual effect on him, and he couldn't quite figure it out. Like everything else he couldn't quite figure out, he had the urge to pursue it until he could figure it out


	5. Chapter 5

The irksome thing about HYDRA is that whenever one of their machines fails to serve its purpose, another one is built to be stronger and more powerful than the first. This made the next encounter with HYDRA considerably more difficult to manage than the first.

Tony was whizzing around the head of the four story tall robot. Jarvis was scanning for a weak point. So far there hadn't been a sign of one. Thor insisted that a weak point was not necessary for him and that he was capable of beating right through the metal giant with his hammer. This endeavor was not proving to be very lucrative.

Flashes of red shot past Steve and he used his shield to deflect them. Natasha and Clint were cowering behind an overturned car nearby. "Cap!" Clint called over to him. He dodged a few more lasers and managed to leap behind the car as well.

"Yes, solider!" he replied. His heart was pounding in his ears and he could feel the familiar tingle of adrenaline.

"Why do you call us soldiers? We're not so-" Clint began but Natasha cut him off.

"What the hell are we supposed to be doing?" she didn't mean to be so abrasive, but fighting forty foot metallic monsters was not part of her job description. She would be of more use if they were fighting a small army like they had been a month or so ago.

"I think Tony said he was going to find a weak spot. Thor's…well he's just trying to ransack the thing. I guess that leaves us for distractions," Steve reasoned.

"Distractions," Natasha said flatly. Just then a stray laser collided with the car they were cowering behind. A small fire sputtered to life near the hood.

"Time to move," Clint said. He sprinted off to find a more stable position for him to attack from.

Natasha glanced at Steve. "Should we call in the Hu- Bruce?" she asked.

"I think we can handle this. Besides, I doubt Doctor Banner wants to be a part of this anyway.

Tasha nodded. "So about that distraction…"

Tony was dodging the robot's offense as best he could. It was quick, and deliberate with it's attacks. Out of the corner of his field of vision he spotted Cap's shield as it collided with the robot's armored shell. It bounced off with a dull thunk and whizzed back into Steve's grasp. He and Natasha were poised in the middle of the street facing the beast. It was like rangers facing off with a big bad outlaw from one of those Western movies. The robot focused on them immediately. It raged toward them while firing its lasers.

"Thor, I think you should spend a little less time trying to turn this thing to pulp and more time making sure it doesn't turn them to pulp."

"Aye," Thor agreed and swooped down to cover for his team mates.

Clint took aim with his bow and released an arrow that was on a straight path to the robot's knees. A highly elastic net sprang from the tip of the arrow and engulfed the robot's legs. It teetered for a bit before falling forward. Natasha was able to leap from its path and Thor was able to lift Steve from harm's way.

The team regrouped on the sidewalk next to the robot as SHIELD was getting on scene. "Spectacular shot, Archer!" Thor roared, clapping his comrade on the back. Clint shrugged, but his expression was smug. He glanced at Natasha but she was too busy watching Nick Fury and a group of SHIELD agents approaching to notice.

"So I think Natasha and Clint should go deal with Fury while Thor, Cap, and I head back?" Tony suggested.

"Indeed," Thor agreed casting a wary glance Nick Fury's way. He was a good man, but Thor was well aware that he was not going to be much of a help during a debriefing. He also didn't trust SHIELD much after he had been detained after trying to retrieve Mjolnir.

"I offer my assistance," Steve said graciously. Even though Clint and Natasha were the unofficial ambassadors between SHIELD and the Avengers, he didn't feel that they shouldn't get help once in a while.

"I think we can handle it," Clint said glumly. Paperwork was his least favorite part of the job. He and Natasha strode over to meet Fury and the agents.

~x~x~x~x~x~

"Man. It's just replaying over and over in my head! The arrow sailing through the air-"

"Clint. I was there. I don't need a play-by-play," Natasha rolled her eyes.

"Right," Clint replied. The SHIELD car had dropped them off at the gate to the mansion. Natasha had keyed them in since Clint had misplaced his identification card. They were making their way up the drive to the front door. "Are you doing anything else today?" Clint asked.

"Eat. Train. Maybe get some sleep," Natasha replied stiffly.

"Christ, Tasha, you're a machine."

She shrugged in response, "You could join me," she suggested casually.

"Okay, so last time we trained together you dislocated my left arm and last time we slept together-" Natasha's glare stopped that phrase halfway. "What are you hungry for?" Clint asked cheerfully.

x~x~x~x~x

"You know Tony, alcohol and computers don't seem like a very good combination," a concerned voice said from the doorway.

Tony whipped around, used his right hand to stable himself, and waited for the room to stop spinning a bit. Bruce rarely ventured into Tony's lab. Usually he was more preoccupied with his own experiments. He knew Tony was probably working on something marvelous that would either debut to the general public in a few months in the form of a product or a spiffy addition to the iron man suit. But right now, he was leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest. "Well actually," Tony chuckled, "Coffee's the secret ingredient that sort of holds the whole thing together!"

"Sounds like you're ready to fall apart," Bruce said quietly.

"And you would know _all _about that," Tony said knowingly.

"That's right. I do." Bruce's voice was even. "Now, you can deal with it by drowning yourself in booze and technology-"

"And coffee."

Bruce paused for a moment before continuing, "Or you can deal with it by actually talking to someone about it. It doesn't have to be me, Tony. In fact I hope it's not me because, well, you know how stellar I am with _emotions. _And it doesn't have to be now. But, please, deal with it before you end up hurting yourself."

They were silent. Tony considered waving Bruce off. Laughing. _Don't worry so much. I'll be fine. _But, what if he won't be fine? One day there was going to be a showdown between Tony Stark and his demons and only one side is going to be able to win.

"I almost got hacked last night Bruce." Tony turned around, took a large sip from his coffee cup and went back to analyzing the codes flashing on the screen in front of him.

"Do you know who it was?" Bruce asked. Tony could hear him moving toward him.

"Probably some seedy evil organization," Tony said airily. "But do you know what is my _worst _nightmare?"

"Running out of money to buy expensive liquor?" Bruce asked. He was at Tony's side now. He took the cup from Tony's hand and sniffed its contents. He grimaced. There was the pungent odor of alcohol mixed with the light scent of cocoa.

"Wrong. Having _my _tech leaked to some half-brained _bastards _who are then going to use it against innocent people. You know why?" Tony slurred.

"Bad for business?" Bruce guessed placing the coffee cup back on the work bench.

"Ha fucking ha, Bruce. If the whole Hulk thing doesn't work out for you, you could try being a standup comedian." When Bruce didn't react to Tony's comment he continued, "It's because all I want to do is _help _people. I want to use my tech to _help _people. The thought of it _hurting _them makes me sick."

"You want to help people because you can't help yourself."

"So _that's _why _you_ turn into the green giant!" Tony slurred excitedly.

Bruce chuckled, "Yeah. Although he's been pretty dormant lately."

"You should let him out."

"Perhaps. Only when he's needed though," Bruce replied. "Is there anything else you needed to talk about? Any other reasons for your _particularly _unhealthy lab binge?"

"Do you think Steve's attractive?" Tony blurted out. It had been the only other thing on his mind. "I mean, for a man."

"You're hiding from him."

"No! Tony Stark hides from _no _one!" Tony pointed an accusatory finger at Bruce.

Bruce chuckled and shrugged. "I guess. I haven't put much thought into it. I don't mean to be a downer, but now I kind of feel like a gossiping teenage girl so I'm going to go."

"Don't avoid the question, Bruce! You know the answer!" Tony called after his retreating friend.

"So do you, Tony. I think you need to face the answer more than I do," Bruce said over his shoulder.

"Way to be cryptic as hell," Tony shouted crossly. The beginnings of a migraine were stirring behind his eyes and suddenly the lights in the room seemed to bright. _Oh Jesus._

He abandoned his post and tottered from his laboratory. _I really need to put a bed in there or something, _he thought as he waited for the elevator to take him up to the main floors of the mansion


End file.
